Top 5 MLB players whose careers were cut short because of injuries
Injuries are an unfortunate part of any professional sport, especially the lengthy and grueling season of the MLB. Though many are lucky enough to withstand the duration of a strenuous 162-game season, others are not. Many MLB records remain intact because of the longevity that is demanded to achieve such feats at a high level. For the unfortunate few on our list, injuries have become synonymous with their name. Some were even prevented from entering the hallowed halls of Cooperstown because of it. Today we headline the top 5 players in MLB history who were unable to fulfill their potential due to injuries.
#5 Dustin Pedroia: 11 MLB Seasons
Dustin Pedroia was one of the most consistent second basemen the Red Sox had in recent memory, never hitting below .278 in his career after his inductive rookie season. He was well on his way to amassing over 3,000 career hits with relative ease by the end of his career until his tenure was cut short after a collision at second base in 2017. A controversial Manny Machado slide into Pedroia's knee shown below required offseason knee surgery that limited the then-33-year-old to nine games the following two seasons.
On April 21, 2017, Baltimore's Manny Machado slides into Dustin Pedroia's surgically repaired knee; John Farrell repeatedly characterizes it as "extremely late," and several of Pedroia's teammates immediately react.
Pedroia has never fully recovered.
youtube.com/watch?v=rbAYcX…
"On April 21, 2017, Baltimore's Manny Machado slides into Dustin Pedroia's surgically repaired knee. - @ Jon Couture
His extended stint on the DL between 2018 and 2019 led to the eventual conclusion of Pedroia's career, officially announcing his retirement on February 1, 2021. Until his injury, Pedroia sported an impressive lifetime statline of 299 AVG/.365 OBP/.439 SLG to go along with his 1,805 career hits. His premature departure from Major League Baseball leaves many to wonder what numbers he could've posted had he not been forced to leave baseball at the age of 33.
#4 Nomar Garciaparra: 14 MLB Seasons
Disregarding injuries, the numbers Nomar Garciaparra put up in his first four MLB seasons would've been difficult enough to live up to. He followed up his 1999 MVP season statline of .357/27HR/104RBIs with a consistent .372/21HR/96RBI in 2000. That included back-to-back batting titles in each of those seasons. Then, a nagging wrist injury that would haunt him for the remainder of his playing tenure arose in 2001, along with a string of other minor injuries. Though he returned from in 2002 and 2003 with a batting average above .300 and 24 HRs or more, he never came close to replicating the dominant seasons from his early years. In fact, the remaining six seasons of his career from 2004-2009 saw him play more than 80 games only twice during that span. When another injury setback sidelined him as a member of the Oakland Athletics in 2009, he called it quits at age 35. He could never stay healthy enough to show he could post consistent numbers in a full 162-game MLB season. Though his lifetime average of .313 appears worthy of the Hall of Fame, it will forever be overshadowed by the injuries that plagued him throughout his career.
#3 Eric Davis: 17 MLB Seasons
Eric Davis has one of the most tragic "What If" stories in MLB history. As a victim of injuries and illnesses beyond his control, he played a hard-nosed, aggressive style defense that ended up taking a toll on his body. During his 17-year career, he managed to finish a full season only seven times. As if that weren't tragic enough, he was diagnosed with colon cancer in the off-season of 1998. He admirably continued to push through it for another four seasons until his eventual retirement following the 2001 season. Though he still managed to drive 282 lifetime home runs and a lifetime .269 average, like Garciaparra, he never managed to fight off the injury bug long enough to play consistently.
#2 Brandon Webb: 7 MLB Seasons
Brandon Webb's MLB career gained almost immediate traction from the moment his rookie season hit the runway with the Arizona Diamondbacks. After his Cy Young Award-winning season in 2006, he showed no signs of slowing down. The tragedy then struck in his first start in 2009 in the form of a bizarre shoulder injury at age 30. I say bizarre, because no particular incident led to his fourth-inning exit. He had given up six runs in those four innings. Little did he know that would be the last time he would see the mound in an MLB game. His shoulder would require surgery and his career went on hiatus between 2009-2012 until he was officially forced into retirement at the ripe age of 33. For a man who seemed destined for the MLB Hall of Fame, his career was cut short. Despite having a 3.27 lifetime ERA, his faltering longevity was the nail in the coffin for his Hall of Fame aspirations.
#1 Ken Griffey Jr. : 22 MLB Seasons
Number one on this list goes to a first-ballot Hall of Famer who would've almost certainly broken more all-time records if healthy. Though he played 22 seasons, much of those years were plagued with long stints on the DL. Ken Griffey Jr.'s injury woes began less than halfway through his 1995 campaign with a wrist injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season. After going predominantly injury-free over the next five years between 1996-2000, it seemed as if he had turned the corner. That is until the then-31-year-old missed 248 of the next 486 games between 2002-2004. In games played, that's nearly two full seasons missed. Even beyond the 2004 MLB season, persistent hamstring issues made Griffey Jr. a frequent visitor to the DL for the rest of his career.
Ken Griffey Jr.’s 1st and last (630) home run of career. https://t.co/4ug6JT57Rn
"Ken Griffey Jr.s 1st and last (630) home run of career" - @ J.T. Maguire
Despite those hindrances, he still proceeded to generate an eye-popping 630 HRs in his MLB career. The majestically effortless swing above is a legendary monument of talent and perseverance. Still, it's but a drop in the bucket compared to what he would have accomplished. Based on the projections in the midst of his prime, he likely would've joined the elite company of the 700-home run club with ease. He may have even flirted with Barry Bonds' record of 762. Furthermore, Griffey's 2,781 career hits would've exceeded far beyond 3,000 and perhaps entertained the 4,000 mark. Due to persistent injuries, Major League Baseball will never know what would have been from one of baseball's greats.